Herbie Hancock, River: The Joni Letters

Wow, are we talking about the same CD? "Sonics are lousy" and "hashy and spitty" are far from how I would describe it. Sure, I have plenty of better recordings in terms of pure sonics, but this one, in my opinion, is definitely a considerable cut above the typical recordings out there. Perhaps the Canadian pressing I have is better, I don't know.

As far as the music, I do like it, but it takes a decent amount of plays to grow on you.

System
Bel Canto CD-2
Bel Canto DAC3
Bel Canto REF1000 MKII monoblocks
Usher BE-718
Velodyne DD10
Combination of top GutWire and Atlas cables and line conditioning

I think it a very "involved" album both on a sonic level the selection of tracks and the way they are arranged. I can see and hear the amount of time and work it took to compose this album. For me Its a type of disc that will only be listened too on those rare subtle moments. But those moments do pass quickly for something with a more upbeat tempo

This disk is utter crap. Mostly just Herbie noodling away and paying no attention to the melody. Most of the songs are unrecognizable as the originals. A real shame, given how good the originals are.

Bob

Jazz is suppose to re-invent the original melodies (sorry but tottaly disagree with Ptmconsulting)..

Fortunatelly there are still some jazz players like Herbie.
The man has a "commercial" instinct, but that is ok if he brings quality performances like this one.
I captured the pensive essence of Joni songs, while keeping his very original piano style.
And the other musicians are top notch!

This is one of the records that can "grow" in time...

I feel compelled to add to this post because if someone were unfamiliar with the recording this post could give a wildly off the mark impression of what Hancock and crew have accomplished.

First off, the album's sonics. It's not a minimalist audiophile recording, but in no way is it highly compressed or otherwise unlistenable.

Second, Joni Mitchell appears on the album, so no, she's not crying a river. The album was produced by Larry Klein, Mitchell's long time collaborator.

Third, in no way could the music be considered smooth jazz. Commercially oriented, yes, but is it really any news that Herbie Hancock has commercial leanings? Unlike smooth jazz the album is musically challenging. It requires active listening and it cannot be appreciated in one or two listens. Joni Mitchell is a very unique writer/singer and I think Hancock gets that uniqueness and doesn't try to impose his genius on top of Joni's. He lays it out, explores and caresses her music, much like early and mid-60s Miles would meditate upon a theme. It no coincidence that one of the two non-Mitchell songs is "Nefertiti".

Here are some professional opinions on the album --

The New Yorker

All About Jazz

The New York Times

This album was released the same day as Mitchell's "Shine". In the past year I've listened to Hancock's record quite a bit more than Mitchell's.